Going Home
by Deadly-Leo
Summary: Treize has been sent to space. Now it's time to come home. Will things have changed?


GOING HOME By: Deadly_Leo  
  
Author's Notes: Ok, I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM WING. Second, everything in Italics is a memory. Treize does not know that Mariamaya exists. Hotaru is Japanese for "firefly." If there are any complaints, e-mail me and I will address them. I'm sorry it is so long, but I couldn't help it.  
  
~*~*~*~ Lady Une laid the sleeping baby in her bed. She stood by the cradle staring at her sleeping child. She looked so much like her father it was uncanny, the ears, the hair, the nose, everything but her eyes. She had her mother's eyes. Beautiful sparkling soft brown eyes her father would say. 'Yes, he would say that wouldn't he,' Une thought as she adjusted the baby's blanket. 'He would say that they were the most beautiful eyes in the world.' It had been about three months since he had left, he had been called away by the Romefeller Foundation to attend to matters in outer space, leaving his young wife, Lady Une, and his three week old daughter, Hotaru, on Earth. Despite his daily phone calls, video transmissions, and frequent messages, Une still felt very much alone. She had been left to cope with her first child and not a clue of how to raise her by herself, with only servants to help with things. Even after three months of his being gone Lady Une would still roll over in bed and question why she did not feel her husbands familiar arms around her. Une looked at the sleeping child, smiled and remembered the day she had told her husband that she was pregnant. ~ Lady Une put the phone on the receiver and glowed with a radiant light. It had been her doctor. She had just gotten her test results back and what she had suspected was confirmed. She was pregnant. She placed a hand on her abdomen and smiled at the thought that in nine months she would be holding their child in her arms. Une stood and walked to the door. Stepping into the hallway of the Specials office she was immediately bombarded with the noise of ringing phones, people talking, news broadcasts and clicking keyboards. She walked down the hall, receiving quite a few odd looks at the extremely large smile on her usually placid or enraged face. Une knocked at a door at the end of the hallway and entered. Again she was assaulted with noise as she entered the room. Treize was in a conference with two delegates from colonies five and six. The two where yelling, almost screaming, at each other about something Une could not make out. Une stood at the back of the room near the door she had entered and watched, patiently awaiting a form of acknowledgement from Treize. Treize, noticing that Une was waiting, winked at her and turned back to the delegates. "Gentleman, please," he said silencing the men with a dismissive wave of the hand, "Oz will provide the armaments that your colonies require at the same price for the same quantity," he said beginning a discussion about armaments. After settling a few minor details the delegates agreed and stood to leave. "I will have my office send over the paperwork in the morning," he said ushering the two past Une and to the doorway. After shaking hands with the two he gently closed the door and turned toward Une. "Lady..." he muttered before encasing her in his arms and gently kissing her soft lips. "What was that all about?" she asked as they walked through a side door into Treize's private office. "Nothing of much importance. So, what brings you to this end of the hallway?" he asked sitting down in his desk chair bringing Une to sit atop his lap and folding his arms around her waist. "Well," she said folding her hands in her lap, "I just got of the phone with my doctor and she gave me my diagnoses," she said. Treize nodded as he recalled how Lady Une had recently been feeling very lightheaded and sick to her stomach. "So..." he asked prompting his wife to speak. "Well," she said draping her arms across Treize's shoulders, "you know that room that we have been reserving as a nursery?" she asked. "Yes..." he prompted. "I think it's time that we start to decorate it," she said smiling a gentle smile. "No!" Treize gasped in disbelief at what he had just heard. His wife, Lady Une, had just told him that he was going to be, was, a father. "Lady, are, are you sure?" Treize murmured. "Very," Une replied. Treize smiled an enormous smile and kissed his wife. They where going to be parents. She was having his baby, his child. 'I can't believe this. I'm a father. I.I don't know how to be a father! I...I...' Treize mentally stammered as he absently kissed Une again. "Lady... I don't know what to say. Is their something that I should do? I'm just so happy!" Lady Une smiled. He was happy, he wanted the baby. "Treize I'm so happy. I have always wanted children. I have to admit, I'm a little afraid though," Lady Une said. "Lady, don't worry we will make wonderful parents," Treize said, trying to assure Une and himself. ~ Une smiled as she remembered that day. Throughout her entire pregnancy Treize had been with her. She remembered all of her late night cravings, the horrible morning sickness that had plagued her, the cramps, the mood swings, and eventually the baby's kicking. 'Poor Treize,' she thought,' all those times that I snapped and yelled, even screamed at him. I must have had him on pins and needles by the time that Hotaru was born,' Une smiled at the thought of the usually calm Treize as being uneasy and worried. 'If he had had any worries or was at all uneasy he had never shown it. He made everything perfect and made absolutely sure that everything went smoothly throughout my whole pregnancy,' Une thought. Lady Une picked up the crying Hotaru, as hot tears of loneliness and longing streamed down her cheeks. Lady Une whispered into the night, "Hurry back to us Treize...hurry back." ~*~*~*~ Twenty thousand miles away, in colony 6452 Treize Khushrenada sat in his stateroom looking out of his window staring at the Earth. Treize tried to imagine what his wife was doing at that moment. 'Right now she is more then likely putting Hotaru to sleep,' he thought wishing that he could be their himself. 'Then she will try and get a few hours sleep before Hotaru's two o'clock feeding,' Treize thought, wishing that he could hold his daughter and his wife just for a few moments. Despite his calls every day he still missed his family, and the pain of not being there with them was becoming unbearable. He missed his daughter to no end, and the separation was making him feel as though he was empty inside. The loneliness haunted his every thought; he could not escape it. At night he would lay awake for hours on end thinking about Lady Une. He would remember everything that he possible could about her, the way she walked, the way she talked, her gentle caress, her soft lips, and especially the way they had made love. Everything about her, every detail about her life, every curve of her body, every dream that she had he would remember in the early morning hours as he lay awake wanting her so badly that he would have killed to be at home with her. Treize smiled as he picked up the mahogany picture frame the sat on his desk. It contained a picture of Lady Une, Hotaru and himself. It had been taken about a week before he had left for space. 'Damn Oz', he had thought then, just as he thought the same now. He stared at his tiny daughter. She had her mother's eyes, her mother's beautiful eyes. He loved those eyes; both mother and daughter had eyes to drown in. He studied his wife's face for what had to have been the thousandth time. She was so young and beautiful. She truly understood him, what he wanted, what he needed. She could anticipate nearly every move he made. She knew his every thought. She knew his every dream and ambition, and worked extremely hard to make them all a reality. In turn he understood her completely, he knew her dreams and her ambitions. She had beautiful dreams, beautiful dreams of peace and prosperity. She had once told him the reason that she had joined Oz. She had joined because she wanted to help change the way of modern warfare to help bring about a never-ending peace. Until this moment Treize had never realized how much you could miss a person. Not being with his family was killing him inside. He needed to be with them or he might go crazy. 'I've got to find a way to get home, home to Earth. I need to see my child, my beautiful, beautiful child,' he thought. 'Oh Lady, if you only knew how much I love you and miss you,' Treize mentally confessed. Treize again looked out of the window and searched the stars for the constellations. This was a habit that he had acquired from Une. He remembered one time in particular that they had searched the stars. ~ Treize rolled over in bed to embrace Une in the middle of the night but found that she was not there. "Huh," he mumbled, as Une's not lying next to him registered. "Lady," he called as he sat up resting his weight on his hands and looking around for Une, "I'm out here," he heard her voice calling to him from the balcony. Treize removed himself from the tangle of sheets, pulled on his robe, and opened one of the French doors. "Lady, why are not you in bed? What are you doing out here at this time of night?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around his wife's slim waist. "I am looking for the constellations. In the summer, when I was a child, my father and I would go out into a field that we had next to our house. I would sit in the grass and stare up the sky as he taught me all the constellations and showed me where they where. Now, every time it's a cloudless night I feel drawn to try and find them again," she explained as she placed her arms on her husbands. "I can never remember where half of them are," Treize said absently as he nuzzled the crook of Une's neck. "Would you like for me to teach you?" she asked. Lady Une spent the rest of that night showing Treize where all the constellations where, and in the morning the two had watched the sun rise over their private beach. It had been one of the best nights of Treize's life. ~ Lady Une loved the stars and Treize loved how they sparkled like Une's eyes. 'Lady twinkles like the stars. She is the most perfect person on Earth, she's so wonderful,' he thought. 'I would give anything to hold you Lady, anything. Anything to hold you and Hotaru. Why of all places in the universe did the Foundation have to send me here?' he thought. Treize reclined in his leather desk chair and closed his eyes and imagined Une. He tried to remember the expressions that she made, the way that her hips swayed seductively when she walked. Treize grinned as he pictured her walking. She really was a beautiful woman, a very seductive woman, and she was his. Every last inch of her and her soul was his and in turn every piece of him was hers. Treize pulled his mind away from Une's beautiful, shapely form and tried to remember the day that he had told Une that he was being sent to space. ~ He had just received the call that would destroy his perfect life for the next five months. He had just received a call from the Romefellar Foundation, notifying him that he was going to be sent to colony 6452 and was to be stationed their for the next five months. He was to leave in a week's time. Treize put the phone on the receiver and sighed. 'We both knew that we could be stationed in space, but I never really thought that it would happen. How am I going to tell Une? She needs me to help with the baby. I don't want to leave either one of them, not with Hotaru just being born,' Treize thought. 'Why did they have to choose now, Hotaru is only a few weeks old. Lady's been so exhausted lately that I have had to take over many of the baby responsibilities by myself, and balance that with work. Lady needs me, they need me!' Treize thought to himself. Treize sighed as he finished signing the last of his paperwork. 'What am I going to do, what will Lady do? The servants won't be able to help, they have their own duties and Lady refuses to hire a nurse. What will they do?' Treize asked himself. Sighing again Treize placed his paperwork in his 'OUT' basket and prepared to leave the office for home. Home, where Lady Une and the newborn Hotaru awaited his return. Treize straightened his cape on his shoulder as he stepped out of his car and handed his car keys to the butler. Treize looked up at his mansion. "Home sweet home," he whispered into the warm summer air. Treize listened to the ocean at the back of the house. Une loved to watch the sunset from their bedroom's balcony were she could watch the waves roll in and out under the setting sun and smell the sweet perfume of the roses in the rose garden on the breeze. Treize opened the thick, carved oak front doors and stepped into the large marble foyer. Closing the door behind him he slowly began to climb the marble staircase. Treize turned right and walked the long carpeted hallway that led through the East Wing. He opened their bedroom door and silently closed it. He wanted to surprise Une. Treize placed his briefcase by the door. Quickly and silently he changed into civilian clothes and crept to Hotaru's cradle. She was not sleeping, but made no sound as he looked down at her. "Hello little one," he said to the small child. Treize turned from the cradle and walked to the double French doors of the balcony. He opened them and stood deadly still in awe at what he saw. Standing before him was an angel that looked exactly like Lady Une. She was wearing a cream-colored silk nightgown under a matching silk robe that billowed and flowed in the breeze, and was silhouetted in the setting sun. She stood facing the ocean, hair billowing in the breeze as the last rays of the setting sun streamed around her, making it seem as though they were coming from her. Her hands rested lightly on the marble railing of the balcony; she looked as though she might spread a pair of wings and fly off into the setting sun. "Lady?" he whispered in awe. Lady Une smiled as she heard her husband whisper her name and turned to face him. "Treize!" she exclaimed, "what on Earth is the matter?" she asked worriedly noticing the look on his face. "Lady..." he murmured, still recovering from the shock of the scene that he had just witnessed. "Lady, I have..." Treize started recalling what he had meant to tell her, but could not finish telling her the bad news. "You have what?" Une asked. "I will tell you in a moment, right now I just want to kiss you and see Hotaru," Treize replied. Une smiled and kissed her husband. Treize groaned as their lips met. 'After this week I won't be able to do this for quit some time, I should make every moment count,' Treize thought wickedly as he deepened the kiss and wrapped his arms around Une's waist to support her, much to her surprise. Une's eyes widened in surprise then closed in pleasure as Treize parted her lips with a flick of his tongue and gently coaxed her own into a playful duel. 'I wonder why he's so happy to see me?' Une thought as Treize finally ended their kiss. As their lips pulled apart for the last time, Hotaru began to cry. Treize smiled and released Une as she groaned, opened her eyes and sighed. "She has been crying all day. I think," she said as she went to her daughters cradle in the corner of their bedroom, and returned to stand in front of her husband, "that she has been crying for you," Lady Une said placing the crying infant in her father's arms. Immediately Hotaru ceased crying and gurgled at her father studying him with the eyes that she had inherited from her mother. Treize sighed as he began to gently pace across the room between the infant's cradle and the opposite wall, all the while talking in a hushed whisper to the child. Treize began to think about how long it would be before he would be able to hold her again after that week. "So," Une started, "what did you want to tell me?" she asked. Treize began to chuckle as he noticed that Hotaru was asleep in his arms. "What?" Une asked, puzzled. Treize looked up from the child and smiled. "She's asleep!" he said with a trace of a laugh in is words. "I have been trying to get her to sleep all afternoon, and you come home and hold her for less then ten minutes and she's out like a light," Une said, a little amused, taking the child from her father's arms and placing her back in the cradle. "Now, what did you want to tell me?" she asked again. "Lady, I am going to put this as simply and as gently as I can..." Treize began, "I received a phone call from the Foundation today. I am being sent to colony 6452. I am going to be stationed there for the next five months," Treize finished slowly, awaiting her reaction. Une was shocked. 'I can't believe this, what are we going to do without him? We both knew that this could happen to either one of us, but I NEVER would have thought that it would be for this long. He has never, even before we were married, been away this long,' Une thought as she sat on the bed and stared dully at Treize, not really seeing him at all. "Lady," he said taking her hands and leading her out onto the balcony, removing her from her daze. "Are you alright?" he asked. Lady just couldn't believe it. He was leaving her and Hotaru. 'We both know that he has an important job at work, but also at home. I need him to help with Hotaru. I can't do it alone, we need him. At this point and time my job is to care for Hotaru the best that I can, without Treize I can't do that. I need him too much to let him go,' Une thought. "Lady, please say something," Treize pleaded with his wife, "Please say something, even if it is just to yell at me. Please," Treize begged. "Lady, I am sorry that this had to happen now with Hotaru so young, but I couldn't stop it," Treize apologized. "I know Treize, I know," Une said turning to stare out at the ocean. "I know that you couldn't help it, and I do not blame you, so there is no reason to apologize. We both knew that this could happen at any time, to either one of us. I blame no one," Une said placing her hands on the railing. "I just wish this wasn't happening. I am not quit sure of what I am going to do while you are gone, I.I.I mean, you. you are the only one who can stop Hotaru's crying," Une said through a tight throat, fighting to hold back her tears. "I'm just wondering what I am going to do when she cries, who.who is going to make her stop, b.b.because I can't," Une said finally letting her hot tears fall from her eyes. She hated crying it always made her feel weak, so very, very weak. Treize sighed; he hated it when Une cried. Though she had only cried in his presence twice, the first time when he had asked her to marry him, the second when Hotaru was born, and both times it had been out of joy, it always made him feel horrible, like it had been his fault. 'Well this time it was your fault,' he thought as he wrapped his arms around Une's slim waist, as she turned to face him. Even so soon after having a child she was rapidly regaining her slim form. She was beautiful when she cried though. At work she usually had such a tough and impenetrable façade, even when she was with him, she kept everything extremely professional and always tried to stay on task. She was a dedicated worker and a gifted strategist. She was a blessing to him and to Oz. Of all her times of beauty, she was the most beautiful when she was venerable, like now. You could read her every emotion at this time, she had left herself wide open to be read by Treize, like a thrilling, beautiful, fantastic book, written just for him. Treize tilted Une's chin so he could look at her face. "Treize," she whispered, "when you are gone, who is going to stop me from crying?" Une whispered. Treize smiled at his wife's innocence. "Lady.We'll figure this out some how," he said as he gently wiped the tears from Lady Une's cheeks. "I will be back as soon as I can," he said kissing her, tasting her salty tears on her warm wet lips. Lady Une rested her head on Treize's shoulder as he held her in his arms.~ ~*~*~*~ Une stared at her diamond wedding ring and rotated it. As she did it sparkled like millions of dewdrops in the first rays of the morning sun. Slowly she lifted her gaze towards the stars as they started to appear as the sun set. She was searching for something in the brilliant gold dome that was the sky. Une searched the sky for the brightest light, this she knew to be the colony 6452, the closest to Earth therefor the brightest light in the sky, next to the moon that is. She heaved a heavy sigh and continued stare at the light, picturing Treize at that moment. She pictured him sitting in a dark room with only his desk lamp for light in a leather desk chair signing paperwork, or in an important meeting with arms manufactures, or with the delegates from other colonies, or even sleeping. She pictured him wrapped as tight as a mummy with all the covers around him tossing and turning reaching out to hold her, only to find that she was not there. "And oh, how I wish that I could be there with you Treize," she whispered into the night air. Hotaru was finally asleep, after a battle of screaming, crying and feeding that had last three full hours. This gave Une all the time that she needed to think. 'Treize, why did they have to send you. I miss you so much,' Une thought. "You are missing a lot of things Treize. Hotaru is beginning to do more things on her own now, I wish you could see her. She looks a little more like you each day. She has developed a very firm grip. She has your grip," she whispered remembering all the times that he had held her hand, or cupped her chin to tilt it upward so that he could gaze into her eyes to read her thoughts or to kiss her soft supple lips. She remembered all the times that they had walked hand-in-hand down the beach or through the rose garden on a warm summer night, but above all she remembered how he held her when they danced. Treize loved to dance with her, because he knew that it always made her smile, and he would do absolutely anything to make her smile. She remembered how, one time, in the middle of dinner he had asked her to dance. ~ It had been an excruciating day at the office. She had had five intense meetings, one right after the other, no lunch break and a report on the progress of Oz's arsenal in space to have read before leaving the office. She hadn't smiled all day. Treize set his fork on his plate and watched Une for a moment. She was hardly eating, she just keep picking at her food and moving it around her plate. Treize placed his napkin on his seat as he stood, extending his hand to Une. "Lady, would you give me the honor and great pleasure of sharing this dance with me?" he asked, dramatically bowing to her. "Now?" she asked raising her eyebrows in surprise at his sudden request. "Yes, now. please?" he asked again giving her his best puppy dog eyes. "But we're in the middle of dinner, and theirs no music," she stated. "Correction, I was in the middle of dinner, you were in the middle of moping and pushing your food around your plate, and about the music," he said smiling, taking her hands in his and leading her away from the table. "We shall create our own," he said with a smirk. Lady Une smiled a gracious smile. She knew that he was doing it just to cheer her up, but was not irritated by it as she normally might have been. 'This is insane,' she thought, 'but I love him even more for doing it. He will do anything at all to make me smile.' Treize took one of Une's delicate hands in his and wrapped an arm around her waist, entwining his fingers in a few of the soft brown strands of hair that fell gracefully down her back. He began to twirl her around as he danced around the room, singing all the while. Une threw her head back and laughed with Treize as they danced. He was an exceptional dancer. They had danced many times before at formal advents, but despite having a beautiful and elegant ballroom, very rarely danced at home. Une loved to dance; it made her feel like a young girl again. She loved the way that she felt when Treize held her in his arms and twirled her around the dance floor. Every time that they danced the world and the people in it disappeared and the only two people left where her and Treize, dancing on air. ~ Treize had danced her around the room for a good two hours, until Treize could no longer sing and Une could no longer dance. Somewhere during those two hours the servants had come to watch, and neither one of the dancers had noticed until they had stopped and had been surprised to find that they where being applauded. Treize would abandon his aristocratic air at the drop of a hat if it meant making Une laugh or smile. He would do anything at all for her, anything. Lady Une stared at colony 6452. 'Treize, I wish that you where here with me now. That would really make me smile,' she thought as she heard Hotaru's cry. "I'm coming little one," she murmured. Une took one last longing look at the colony and stepped back into the bedroom from the balcony, and locked the French doors for the night. ~*~*~*~ Treize's thoughts of his wife and family were interrupted as the phone on his desk rang. "Hello?" Treize said as he picked up the phone. "Treize," answered the man's voice. It was the voice of Duke Dermael, the leader of the Romefellar Foundation. "Yes sir, may I help you?" Treize said. "You are being re-assigned to Earth again at the end of the week. We at the Foundation have concluded that the manufacturing and distribution of our armaments has become sufficient enough to meet our needs in space. Therefore, you are being sent back to Earth. You will resume your duties at the Specials office first thing on Monday morning," he ended. Treize was shocked, but relieved and excited at this news. He was going home to Lady Une and Hotaru. "Treize?" said Dermael, puzzled at Treize's silence, "Treize, have you heard a word of what I have just said to you?" he asked impatiently. "Oh, oh yes sir I have," said Treize, waking from his daze. "I thank you and the Foundation for returning me Earth before the end of my assignment," he said. "I also appreciate you taking the time to call and personally inform me of these new orders. Thank you again sir," he said, not meaning a word of what he said. It had been Dermael's direct orders that had sent him to space; it had been him who had taken him away from Lady Une and Hotaru. Treize had known that Dermael felt threatened by him, because of his rapid rise in power and his great popularity among the troops of Oz. It was because of this that Dermael unnecessarily sent him to the colonies. He had torn apart Treize's happy life and sent him away for the longest amount of time that a person could be stationed temporarily at one time. He had done it just to regain more power for himself, but it had not worked. Treize's followers in the Romefellar Foundation had begun to protest his being re-stationed, once they realized Dermael's true reasons for assigning Treize to space. "You're welcome. I expect you to be on the next shuttle that leaves the colony," Dermael said shortly, as he hung up on him. Treize didn't care he was going home. Home to his wife, his daughter, his house, his bedroom, and his bed. Everything would be his again, he would be able to see Une again, and hold Hotaru, sleep in his bed with Une lying next to him. He would be able to walk through his rose garden with Une, and Hotaru in a stroller; go on picnics with them; everything would be perfect again. The past three months had been almost unbearable for Treize, but he was finally going home, to everything and everyone he loved. Treize put the phone on the hook and smiled. In a few hours he would be on a shuttle heading to earth, to home. Treize once again picked up the phone and began to dial his home number to speak to Une, but stopped. 'I think I will surprise Lady,' he said placing the phone on the receiver. 'Yes I shall surprise her. She wont be expecting me for the next two months, I will be giving her the shock of her life,' he thought as he picked up the picture frame that held his family portrait to study his family again. In the picture he had his arms wrapped around Une's waist keeping her back pressed firmly to him, and in her arms was Hotaru. In the picture he had been holding Une, and in a few hours he would again be holding her. Treize placed the picture on his desk and reclined in his desk chair. He closed his eyes and began to remember how it had felt to hold Une. How it had felt to be able to roll over in bed and grasp her in his arms. How it had felt lay in bed and to have her soft, warm body pressed against his as she laid next to him, her head resting on his chest while she peacefully dreamt. He remembered how it had felt to be able to kiss her warm lips whenever he had wanted. How it had felt to have her arms wrapped around him as she quietly whispered his name, how he had been able to nuzzle his face into her fragrant chestnut brown hair. He remembered how it had felt to be able to hold his tiny daughter in his arms. He remembered how she had looked at him through the eyes that had inherited from her mother. He would never forget the way those eyes looked, not in a million years, they always seemed to be able to look through him instead of at him. Une seemed to posses the ability to look through those eyes at him and see through to the real him, the person that no one else could see. When Hotaru grew older Treize was sure that she would be able to do the same thing, giving her the ability to get what ever she wanted from him. Treize opened his eyes and looked at the green and black marble framed clock on his desk. 'Humph, it's twelve o'clock, the shuttle I am taking to Earth will be leaving at one. I should begin packing,' he thought as he stood, stretched, and walked into his bedroom to get his suitcase from under his bed. A half an hour later Treize placed his family picture on top of his clothes and closed his suitcase, he had finished packing and had arranged to have a car waiting for him at the shuttle port on Earth. All that was left to do was to get to the shuttle bay. Treize stood, took his suitcase in his hand and took one final look out of his window at Earth. "Well Lady," he whispered, "in the matter of only a few hours I will be at home with you and Hotaru. I'll be able to hold you again. I'll be able to hold Hotaru again," he said as he slowly walked to the door and closed it as he headed for the colony's shuttle bay. Twenty minutes later Treize was on a shuttle heading for Earth. As he gazed at Earth through the shuttle's windows he again remarked on the Earth's beauty. 'There is nothing in heaven or on Earth that can compare to the beauty of the Earth as it is seen from outer space. The only thing that I can think that would even begin to rival it is Lady Une's beauty,' he thought as he laid his head back, against the headrest of the seat. Treize closed his eyes and began to drift to sleep, to dream of Lady Une and Hotaru. ~*~*~*~ Lady Une closed the French doors and stepped out onto the balcony. Une walked to the balcony's railing as she gazed into the sky and untied her robe. It was a warm night and there was a breeze coming off the ocean. She had just gotten Hotaru to fall back to sleep. The child was now peacefully sleeping in the room next to the master bedroom, her new nursery. Une and Treize had chosen the room because it was the closest to their bedroom. If she were to cry in the night, they would be able to hear her. When Hotaru grew to be older she would be moved to a bigger room in the East Wing. Hotaru seemed to be quite content with her new surroundings and for once had no problems falling asleep. Lady Une stood staring off into the dark horizon. It was early in the morning, around four thirty. The sky was still black, for the sun would not be out for about an half an hour, and Lady Une was going to watch the sunrise, providing that Hotaru did not awaken again. Lady Une closed her eyes and reviled in the darkness that she found there. There in the darkness behind her eyes she could find Treize, and anything or anyone that she wanted. That was where she could imagine anyone and anything at any time. She could see Treize standing before her; arms spread wide open in welcome, ready to embrace her. She could see him sitting in a shuttle, on his way home to her and Hotaru. Their in her imagination she could see him as clearly as if he where their with her. She could remember him and all the times they had had together. Lady Une opened her eyes and looked into the darkened sky and gazed at the fading stars. Sunrise was coming. Lady closed her eyes once again, and remembered the sunrise of the day that Treize had left for space. ~ Treize rolled over opened his eyes. He checked the alarm clock on his bedside table. It was twenty of six in the morning. Treize pulled the blankets off himself and stood then stretched, yawning. He was going to watch the sunrise with Une. Treize silently crept to Hotaru's cradle and looked down at the sleeping child. She was beautiful when she was sleeping, just like her mother. He adjusted his daughter's blanket and gently kissed her forehead, and looked back down at her watching her stir slightly. Treize smiled at the infant and turned to pad across the large room to the bed again and crossed to the side where Lady Une lay sleeping, kneeling down by her side. He watched his wife sleep for a moment before gently caressing her cheek. "Lady...Lady, please wake up," he whispered in her ear, watching as she began to stir. "Huh.what?" she asked groggily opening her eyes as she sat up onto her elbows, "Is Hotaru awake?" she asked her husband as she looked across the room at the sleeping child's cradle. "No.but there is something that I want you to see," Treize said as he took Une's hands in his and helped her from the bed. "Treize, what's going on? Why did you wake me up? What is it that you want me to see?" she impatiently asked him. "Just follow me," he said as he took Une's hands and led her to the balcony doors, then opened them and led her out onto the balcony. Treize dropped Une's hands and turned behind him to close the French doors. He turned back to Une and looked at her as she looked around. "You wanted me to see the balcony?" Une asked as she finished surveying the landscape. "No," Treize said with a smile and a trace of a laugh in his voice, "I wanted you to see the sunrise with me. Since I am leaving for space in a few hours, I wanted to spend as much time as possible with you," he said looking at Une. Lady Une smiled at Treize and stepped toward him wrapping her arms around his waist. Treize wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and stared into her brown eyes. He was leaving her and Hotaru for space in five hours. After that he would not be able to see them for five months, and he wanted to spend every waking moment with them. Lady Une stared back at Treize, searching the depths of his blue eyes. In five hours her husband would be leaving her, and she would be left on her own to raise their three-week-old daughter by herself. She would have no one to help her with late night feedings, no one to help her put her daughter to sleep. Their would be no one their for her. She would have to do it on her own. The two stood staring into each other's eyes for some time. They could not bear to look away for fear that time might speed by and they would be all alone, one on Earth and the other in space. Treize looked up first as the sun's first rays began to climb over the ocean in the horizon. "Lady," he murmured in his wife's ear, "the sun is rising." "I know Treize, I know," she murmured back as she rested her head on Treize's chest, he nuzzling his face into her soft hair. The sun had risen that day then went away. And with it, so went Treize. ~ Lady Une's eyelids fluttered open. She stood staring around at the rapidly lightening sky. There was a shuttle that was entering the Earth's atmosphere. "Treize, I wish that you where on that shuttle," she whispered, not knowing that it was Treize's shuttle. "I wish that it was you, coming home to Hotaru and I," she said into the warm morning air. Lady Une took one last look at the shuttle, before returning to her bedroom and locking the balcony doors. ~*~*~*~ Treize's eyelids flickered open as he felt his shoulder being gently shaken. "Mr. Khushrenada? The shuttle will landing in few moments," said an attractive redheaded stewardess. "Thank you miss," Treize replied groggily. Treize placed his seat in the up right position as he felt the shuttle start to descend slowly to the ground. As Treize had slept he had dreamt about Lady Une and Hotaru. He had dreamt that they had been on the shuttle with him and they had been telling him all about the things that had been happening since he had been gone. As the shuttle docked Treize stood to open his overhead compartment. After retrieving his suite case he headed for the main terminal of the spaceport. Treize walked through the doors of the spaceport to his waiting car. "It's good to have you home sir," said his butler as he took Treize's suite case and placed it in the trunk of the sleek black car, and opened and one of the back doors for him. "Does Lady suspect anything, Gregor?" Treize asked as he got into the car. "Not that I know of sir," the butler said, "here are the flowers that you requested me to bring sir," he said as he reached into the front right seat and produced a large bouquet of deep red roses that he handed to Treize. Treize drank in the roses sent as the car pulled away from the spaceport. He eyed each one of the roses carefully as he touched each individual petal. It had been a long time since he had last seen a rose, because such flowers where not commonly grown in space. Treize thought of Une as he removed a single rose from the bouquet and held it gently in his hand. 'Lady, in so many ways you are like a rose, fragile and delicate; beautiful and mystifying; yet sharp like a thorn. Lady...you are a rose. A beautiful delicate creature that grows and blooms before my eyes,' he thought. Treize placed the rose back into the bouquet and reclined his head to again dream of his wife and child on the long drive home. ~*~*~*~ As Gregor pulled the car up to the door of Treize's house, Treize awoke to find that he was home, home, where Lady Une and Hotaru awaited his unexpected return. Gregor stopped the car and said, "Here we are sir, home at last." "Yes Gregor...home at last," Treize replied quietly as he took Lady Une's bouquet from the car seat, exited the car and headed for the house. As he entered the foyer he looked around. Things where exactly as he remembered, busy. "Oh, sir, you're home early!" a plump housekeeper exclaimed. "Should I go and fetch the Misses?" she asked looking politely surprised. "No thank you, but you could tell me where she is," he said with a large smile. "She's out on the deck with Lucy and the little one," she said. "Thank you Martha," Treize replied and began to head outside. Lady Une sat on a blanket with Hotaru, who was sitting happily on her mother's lap playing with a rattle. It was a warm summer day, and Lady donned a white tank top and short blue jean shorts. Treize stared at the two from behind the deck door curtains. They where just as he remembered. 'Just as beautiful as before. I see that some things will never change,' he thought. 'Well,' he told himself, 'it's now or never,' and with that he took a deep steadying breath and slowly turned the doorknob. Lady Une lifted the child to look into he her happy innocent eyes. 'This child,' she thought, 'cannot fully comprehend any emotions she might have. She cannot fully realize that her father is gone,' she thought with a frown. Lucy's watchful eye caught the doorknob's movement a moment before the door opened, and through it Treize came. "Sir!" she cried in surprise as she stood. Une's head turned to see her husband standing in the doorway with a bouquet of roses. "Hello Lucy," Treize said as he stared at Une. "Welcome home sir," Lucy replied. Lucy, sensing that the couple would want to be alone for a while, took Hotaru from her mother's hands, saying, "I am going to put the little one down for a nap," and with that she and Hotaru left. ~*~*~*~ "Hello Lady," Treize said. "Treize...is it really you?" Lady Une asked as a tear ran down her cheek. "Yes," he answered with a smile. Lady smiled. 'Treize...' Une ran to her husband as he opened his arms to embrace her. "Lady," he murmured in her ear, "I've missed you. I've missed you so much...Lady... I love you." Lady smiled. "I love you to Treize...I love you to," she whispered back. Treize smiled, "Aaaahhh yes...but did you miss me?" he said with a chuckle. Une removed her head from her husband's shoulder as tears steadily streamed down her cheeks, and looked into his deep blue eyes, "Of course I missed you," she said smiling. Treize looked at his wife. She was so beautiful and soft and...and...'Perfect,' he thought, 'the most perfect creature alive,' and with that Treize kissed her. They groaned in pleasure as their lips touched for the first time in three months. Treize broke their kiss and their embrace as he handed Une her flowers. "Here, these are for you," he said. Une bent her head to look at the deep red petals, drinking in their fragrance. "What?" Une asked innocently noticing that Treize was staring at her. "Nothing," he replied. Treize smiled at Une as she continued to look at the roses. 'God, she's absolutely gorgeous,' he thought as he bent to scoop Une into his arms. "Treize!!" she cried in surprise, "where are you taking me?" she asked, guessing the answer. "Upstairs," he replied with a devious smirk as he nudged the slightly agar deck door open further. Une laughed as she placed her flowers in her lap and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "Not home even ten minutes and you are already carrying me upstairs!!" Une said with a chuckle. "Well," Treize started, "as you know, I like to do things my way," Treize finished as he started up the stairs. "Yes...I know you do," Une said as she kissed Treize again. "Treize," Une said as she rested her head on her husband's shoulder, "promise me that you will never leave me like that again." Treize smiled in understanding. "I promise Lady...I promise." And with that their bedroom door closed. End  
  
Author's notes: I am operating on a theory that I developed after reading a fanfic and the manga. Treize was in space at 17 and met Lea Barton and thus a child was conceived. Lea never told Treize. 


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